@Jay like you said, I don’t think brand matters as much anymore and if there is a trend in this area, then it’s for consumers seeking the indie/local flavor

@Jim I couldn’t agree more. The gold jackets are brilliant.

But … Lani – despite the fact that I disclose my brokerage affiliation as required … I am rarely if ever identified with the company brand; I am my brand, and my clients come to me rather than the company. Frankly, I implement more technology for my business than my broker does, and I like it that way.

However … (and I’ve said this many times before) If C21 had kept the gold jackets, they would still be dominating that space. They were ugly as sin, but they were brilliant branding.

When I left my previous brokerage, and the C21 mothership, the broker said to me, “You need a big brand. People won’t respect Thompson’s Realty”.

Within a week, we had our first listing. When we met the client, he said, “I want a small ‘Mom and Pop’ shop like you guys. I feel like I’ll get better service that way.” That may or may not be true, but it was this guys perception.

I can’t tell you how many clients we had when we were at C21 that never even knew (or cared) we were at a C21 office. Countless times we’d hand them a business card after finally meeting face-to-face and they’d say, “Huh, I had no idea you were with Century 21″.

I’m not saying indie/small is better than franchise/big. But in my experience, it doesn’t seem to matter to the vast majority of real estate “consumers”.

Incidentally, after 4 months in business our brokerage and its 6 agents are now carrying more listings and have more in escrow than my former C21 broker and his 42 agents. Respect has to be earned and delivered. It doesn’t appear like magic with some name or logo.

@LaniAR: AUSTINITES- do you care if your Realtor is with a big brand like Re/Max? or do you prefer an independent? or does it even matter?

Two very interesting answers came back that I thought were worth sharing:

@davidgiesberg: I’ve never dealt with buying/selling property or realtors, but if I was going to, I would probably prefer indie.

@Grumpicus: Maybe I’m naive, but the person matters more to me than the brand. That being said, if I can’t get a referral, I’d probably go brand.

What are everyone’s thoughts about this consumer input? Hint: we’re in Austin, the tech capital of the South… is location important, per chance?

But, I think that Matt’s model offers more for what I want to be. And the smaller structure is more flexible. And faster to react. And more fun. And more challenging…

I am stoked about it.

Thanks for the plug. Of course, we’re pretty biased on this subject here at Diamond Dwellings™

I guess it always comes down to “how much for how much”. Do the benefits outweigh the costs?
That answer will be different for each individual situation
You can succeed at “Big” or you can succeed at “small” — both solutions have their benefits.

The amazing part of “RE in a google world” is that SMALL is now on a level playing field with big.
(and perhaps their is even advantage to SMALL)

The companies that leverage that properly — and innovate at an even higher level — will win big.